Authored by Daisy Luther via The Organic Prepper
Extracted from Zero Hedge website. (Tyler Durden)
Here are the lessons that I think every parent needs to teach their child, whether you’re raising boys or girls. Before leaving the nest, they should be able to:
Cook inexpensive, nutrition meals from scratch.
How to use up leftovers.
Get from point A to point B using public transit or under their own power
Budget limited money so that the most important things are paid first
Men and repair instead of replacing them
Take a course in First Aid, CPR, and anything else applicable that is offered. The more you know, the calmer you are able to remain during a crisis.
Have a good basic First Aid kit and know how to use everything in it
Know some home remedies for various common illnesses: tea for tummy aches, treatment for flu symptoms, how to soothe skin irritations, and how to care for a fever
Drive. Not only an automatic transmission but also a standard transmission
Change a tire. You don’t want your teenage daughter stranded on the side of the road at the mercy of whoever stops to help. My daughters were not allowed to drive the car until they demonstrated their ability to change the tire with the factory jack.
Perform minor maintenance, like checking the oil and fluid levels, filling up the washer fluid, checking tire pressures and topping them up if needed, and changing the windshield wiper blades.
Use basic tools for repairs
Cook a healthy meal from scratch
Cook a “company” meal – everyone needs one delicious meal that’s a little fancier they can cook when they have a guest
Grocery shop within a budget and have healthy food for the week ahead
Speaking of that, how to budget in general, so that they don’t have “too much month and not enough money”
How to clean
How to do laundry, including stain removal
How to think for themselves and question authority
How to budget for holidays and vacations.
How to manage their time to get necessary tasks accomplished by the deadlines
How to tell the difference between a want and a need
How to be frugal with utilities and consumable goods
How to pay bills
How to stay out of debt (not easy with the college credit card racket that you see on campuses across the country and rampant student loans)
How to pay off debts if they have it
How to keep safe: they need to have basic self-defense and weapons-handling skills.
How to navigate with a paper map – not Google or their car’s GPS
How to make extra money fast if an emergency arises
Emergency skills every young person should have
Some of the skills above will cross over into emergencies, like First Aid. Outside of the basics of everyday life, your kids leaving home should know:
How to light a fire
How to cook safely over an open fire
How to warm when the power is out, whether that means safely operating an indoor propane heater, using the woodstove/fireplace, or bundling up in a tent and sleeping bags in the living room
How to keep themselves fed when the power is out – they should have enough supplies on hand that they can stay fed at home for up to two weeks: cereal, powdered milk, granola bars, canned fruit, etc.
How to deal with the most likely disaster in their area
About the dangers of off-grid heating and cooking, such as the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning in unventilated rooms.
How to purify water
How to keep safe both at home and when they’re out. Be sure they know the difference between cover and concealment
How to do laundry by hand and hang it to dry.
How to keep things sanitary without running water.
How to acquire food: foraging, fishing, gardening, hunting